Self-help is a big industry, worth $11 billion dollars at last count.

The books in self-help section in your book store, personal coaching, weight loss programs, large motivational conferences that promise to make you rich or invincible, the kind that thousands of people attend at once, are all part of this industry.

Whether self-help helps or not is a big question that is up for debate.

I think it works for people who are willing to do the work.

And, you do not always need to invest in a $10,000 seminar. A $10 book can work well for you if you do the work.

After you learn something new, there is no point keeping it inside your head. Use it to change yourself. There is another better way. Help others with new knowledge.

Don’t wait to help until you become an expert. Start early, as soon as you learn something that can help others. You may be learning marketing, sales, writing, design or coding. Anyone of these skills takes years to master. But you can share the basics when you start learning.

Till the time you feel confident enough to help others yourself, point people to the book or person who helped you. That is a definite way to help.

I think everyone should read “How To Win Friends And Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. It is a masterclass in dealing with people grounded in psychology without appearing so.

Put your thinking cap on when you learn. While you are learning or soon after, think about what you can share with others and then share it.

You even don’t need to get on the self-help train to help others.

You can start where you stand.

Don’t read the book. Don’t seek help. Start where you are and ask your friend, colleague, the fellow student if you can help them in some way. Work on a problem together. If you code, you can offer to pair program.

As someone once said: “When you row another person across the river, you also get there yourself.”